Zenith
by Yutena
Summary: Part 2 of Sunrise Saga. Nessie & Jacob leave supernatural life behind and enroll at UT Austin. But a string of murders might require their special assistance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"When are the visiting hours again?" Edward, my father, asked as he put a stuffed cardboard box of on top of the ancient wooden desk. There was an unpadded chair to match.

Bella, my mom, and I both simply rolled ours eyes.

It was a rare overcast day in the usually sunny locale of Austin, Texas, especially in late August as the thermometer peaked at 102 despite the clouds. Alice had told us this afternoon was the best time to move in: a limited three hour period when a late summer thunderstorm would provide a cover of gloom for my vampiric family. However, as a precaution, Edward and Bella wore conspicuous long-sleeved shirts and full-legged jeans. Therefore, they stood out not only for their arresting beauty, but also for their attire and lack of perspiration. Other students were practically in their bathing suits and parents followed in shorts and shirts that boasted tell-tale sweat stained arms. Girls who passed us in the stairwell in bikini tops looked at Edward with longing, Bella with loathing and me with suspicion. It should be a fun semester.

Dad left to retrieve other boxes filled with junk I probably didn't need, but Alice wouldn't let me leave without. I'll l be the only girl in the dorm with 500 count Egyptian cotton sheets and curtains to match. I was sure she already knew I wasn't putting up the curtains when she bought them, but there they were, staring up at me from their unopened box sitting on the bare and badly stained mattress. Bella wrinkled her nose. I, too, smelled whatever toxic orders emanated from it. Humans didn't notice anything lurking under the topical treatment of fabric cleaner, but trust me, it still stank.

I glanced around the tiny room that I would be sharing with another girl for the next sixteen weeks, at least, with a smile of adventure. I saw the cinderblock walls painted an off white , the scarred faux wood closet doors covered with the tape residue of countless prior occupant's posters and the dusty metal book shelf with chipped paint that lined the wall above the mirrored skinny beds and felt immediately at home. Like other college freshman this was to be my first time living away from home. I do have sixteen credit hours from the University of Alaska that I will be transferring in, but I stayed in my family's huge house. But I was tired of being cold. I was tired of being in the dark. I was tired.

In a few weeks I'll turn seven years old but I won't age another day for as long as I live. At least that's what Carlisle said. The oldest half-breed our family knows off was at least a hundred years old and still looks like a head-shot off of . And my boyfriend isn't getting any older either. We both were frozen at age eighteen for as long as we desired.

"This should be the last of it," Edward announced as he placed the last box on the floor.

A silent look passed between the three of us and we got to work. Edward guarded the door using his mind-reading ability to detect who may think about entering this room while Bella and I swiftly unpacked the boxes and arranged my belongings about my half of the room. Bella and I sang a song while we worked. Posters went up, sheets went on, laptop hooked up and books were stacked in alphabetical order. My art supplies were carefully put in the closet along with my pared down wardrobe. Alice and Rose didn't understand that I didn't need formalwear at college. The other superfluous items, and there were two boxes worth, were packed up and taped, ready for Edward to take back down to the car. We just completed the first chorus when we were done. Bella and I collapsed on the bed giggling as Edward, with a smile, backed away from the door. Bella and I were betting on drive way up (down?) how quickly we could finish this task. Bella won. She was faster than me, but I could still beat the track star on campus.

"So, how do you like your new home," Bella said with a crack in her voice on the last word.

"I love it," I said as I hugged my pillow.

Edward looked at his watch though we had only been in the room for twenty minutes so far. The countdown was on. "So you didn't answer my question earlier. What are the visiting hours again?"

I sighed "You already know. Until 11 pm on weeknights and all night on weekends."

"I still think you should move to another dorm."

Another sigh escaped my lips this time with an eye roll. Edward thought that a dorm monitor was going to keep Jacob and me from seeing each other at three in the morning. His over protectiveness was another reason why I have moved halfway across the globe.

This past summer was wonderful as Jacob and I had plenty of free-time to spend together relishing the brief and weak, but ever present Alaskan sunshine. Jacob and I's relationship had deepened, but obviously too much for Edwards taste. He managed to insert himself as much as possible – especially by having read our intentions.

One night, during a late dusk, the large orange globe of a sun dipped into the golden sea as Jacob and I sat and watched. It was a romantic moment. I wore a bikini top and shorts, Jacob in shorts. We sat side by side alternating looking at the awe-inspiring sunset and each other. Jacob trimmed his hair short and the effect emphasized his dark eyes. A few tendrils of my auburn escaped my pony tail in the breeze. Jacob reached to brush it away. He must have had an impure thought to accompany the action because my cell phone rang at that precise moment with a text from Edward saying 'don't forget the apples'. Talk about a mood breaker. Granted there won't be much I can do if Edward decided to eavesdrop or text me from here, but at least I can avoid the lingering stares from doorways or sudden appearances on campus.

"So you have all your classes set?" Bella asked brightly as Edward appeared in pain while darkening the doorway with his sour mood. I didn't think he enjoyed my summer.

"Yes. English Comp, American History, Drawing, Art History and Intro to Computers," I answered.

"And you have enough money for books?"

"Yes." I flash the ATM card that they had already loaded with a couple of grand for 'incidentals'.

"And your meal plan is loaded on your card?"

"Yes." I groaned and showed the other white card that displayed the longhorn graphic in burnt orange with my face emblazoned on it.

"And—"

I cut her off. "Enough. I got everything and if by some strange reason, I don't, I am sure I can figure out a way to get it. We are in the internet age."

Apparently satisfied, Bella stood up, pushed down on her pant legs and looked at Edward. Edward, who had been standing quietly next to the door the whole time as if not wanting to let anybody in or out, approached his wife and together they looked at me with identical expressions of happiness and grief.

"So, I guess this it." Edward said. He pulled me into his arms. I listened to his silent, cold hard chest and knew I was going to miss him terribly. Bella with a face that look like it would shatter was shaking with tearless sobs as she joined our embrace. For the last time (at least until mid-semester break) I cradled each of my parent's cheeks and shared with them my love. Without another word, Edward and Bella, arm in arm, turned toward the door and soundlessly passed through it. And I was blissfully alone. I jumped on my bed and screamed with joy into my pillow.

After a minute or so, I dropped the pillow from my face. A girl, around eighteen years old and five feet tall stared at me with wide brown eyes from the center of the room. Behind her were two equally surprised middle aged persons who I assumed to be the girl's parents.

"Sorry, " I muttered as I blushed and put the pillow back on the bed. I patted it for extra measure. I stood up and crossed the two steps to face the girl. "Hi, I'm Renee Cullen. Nice to meet you." I outstretched my hand.

The wide eyed girl looked at my hand as if it would bite her but soon recovered with a shrug. "Hi, I'm Amanda Stiker. Most people call me Mandy, " she said with a sweet southern drawl as she confidently took my hand.

Her parents approached from under the doorway's shadow. "Nice to meet you, Renee. Are you a freshman, too?" Mrs. Stiker asked as she surveyed the room with a keen eye. Her gaze lingered on one of my posters. It was a photograph of one of my paintings. The original hung in my Alaskan room. Finally, her attention turned back to me with wary eyes.

"Yes. I'm still technically a freshman though I earned some credits at U of A."

"Alabama? Arkansas?" Mandy asked.

"Alaska."

The family's eyes widened in surprise, again. "Alaska! Wow! It must seem really hot to you down her e in Texas," she stated the obvious. The noisy air conditioner was hacking away in a vain attempt to decrease both the temperature and humidity. My hair was curlier than ever.

"Yep. I take you are from around here?"

"How did you ever guess?" she laughed "I live in Denton. North Texas. There are two universities there, but I wanted to move to a city, you know? I'm tired of small towns."

"I hear ya. My school had only two hundred kids-total."

"Wow, that's a small high school. My graduating class had twice that!"

"Uh, that was the whole school – kindergarten through high school."

Again, the wide eyes. This poor girl's eyes were going to pop out if she kept it up.

"Wow," she mouthed.

"Who was that we passed on the way in? That couple. They left from this room, right?" Mrs. Stiker asked.

"Yes. That was my brother and sister," I replied.

"Brother? Sister? Hmm. I take it your family is close?"

"Yeah." I was picturing how it must have looked to see Edward and Bella arm and arm out the door looking like runway models leaving a funeral. I hoped she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Where are your parents?"

"They couldn't make it. My dad is a doctor."

She sniffed in response. "We'll give you girls a chance to talk while your father and I get your belongings."

I got the impression that Mrs. Stiker wasn't happy with me for some reason. With her perfectly highlighted blond hair tucked in a relaxed pony tail at the nap of her neck, her causal white tank top with the trademark Longhorn symbol on the front and pressed denim shorts, she looked like she was ready for an afternoon stroll at the park. But her steely blue eyes and taunt lips belied something else. Maybe it was just the fact her daughter was moving away.

"Thanks, Mom," Mandy said without taking her eyes off me as she plopped down on my bed beside me. "Why did you come to Longhorn country?"

"It was warmer than Alaska." There was that sweet laugh again. It had a high pitched musical quality. Not annoying like it could be. "Why Texas? Why not New York if it was the big city you were looking for?"

"Scholarship," and there was that laugh again. Uh, oh. I see a pattern. Maybe I was too quick to dismiss the annoyance. "I was valedictorian of my graduating class so I got a full-ride scholarship here. Sweet, right?"

I nodded. I probably could have gotten a scholarship with my 4.0 from U of A, but with Cullen money, why bother?

"What's your major?" she asked.

"Art. Probably painting."

"Wow. You must be talented." This girl was too easily impressed. Or fake. I couldn't put my finger on which one yet. "I'm pre-med," she stated confidently as if she were already a resident instead of lowly freshman.

This time my eyes widened in surprised. I was picturing this short little girl in a white lab coat hovering over an operating table that was lowered to two feet off the ground so she could reach the patient. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a giggle. I could only hope she was looking into pediatrics.

Mandy studied my side of the room, first tilting her head to the read the book tiles, then tilting her head the other direction to examine the posters of my artwork. Then she abruptly got up and opened my closet.

Shocked at her boldness in invading my meager privacy in such small quarters I dashed behind her in the time it took her to breathe a single breath.

"Oh! You scared me! How did you get her so fast?" she said as her breathing slowly returned to normal after she jumped in surprise.

I shrugged my shoulders and secretly delighted in hearing her elevated heart rate. "Find anything interesting?" I motioned at my wardrobe.

"Oh, sorry. Is this your closet? I didn't mean to intrude." Her hand was over her heart and the southern charm was dripping off her lips, but I didn't trust her innocent routine. With a faint click she closed the door and tip-toed to her closet door. "Hmm. Not much space. I guess it'll have to do."

"You two acquainted, yet?" Mr. Stiker asked. He was carrying a blue milk crate full of books with black garment bags draped over his arms. Over one shoulder hung what looked like a laptop case and a duffle bag on the other. With a huff he deposited the items on the bed.

"Daddy! Be careful!" Mandy rushed over to protect her fragile belongings though they looked to be just fine to me.

"Sorry, Sweetie. You have a lot of stuff."

Mandy gave him a sugary smile. I had no doubt that that smile had been used to get whatever it was she wanted from the man. "It's okay, Daddy."

"Mandy, dear. Please help us get all this stuff in your room. You have auditions in just under an hour and your father and I have a plane to catch," Mrs. Stiker declared. She only had a rolling suitcase and yet another garment bag in her possession.

"Yes, Mom." Dejected, Mandy got up and did as her mother told but not before look back at me and rolled her eyes with a grin.

This girl was a manipulator. Great.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Stiker cleared out I asked," What are you auditioning for? A play? A sport? A chair in the orchestra?" Having seen no instruments or sporting equipment brought into the room and given her theatrical performance when her parents were present, I pegged her as a drama geek.

"No, silly," she laughed that musical, but this time mocking, laugh. "Cheerleading."

Oh. It was worse than a drama geek. She was a drama queen.

"Do you want to come?" She gave me a once over with her eyes, no doubt sizing me up to see if I was squad material. I had every confidence I could do anything physical thing they asked me to do, but parading around in a short skirt chanting nonsense to a crowded stadium wasn't my idea of fun. "I'm sure you were a cheerleader in high school. You got the looks for it."

I couldn't hold back the snicker. As if looks were all that there was to cheering. "Thanks for the compliment, but I have never even been to a football game."

"No freakin way. You're shitting me right? What did you do on Friday nights?" I was worried about the girl's poor eyeballs again as they threatened to pop.

"Um. Not much football in Alaska. My family watched some of it on TV."

"Girl, this is Texas – football country. You are going to get an education here!"

Well, I guess that was what I came for. Mandy with unbridled elation began throwing clothes around the room searching for the 'perfect shorts' and finally produced a pair of tiny red shorts. She immediately shed her current Capri's and pulled the shorts over her electric blue thong underwear. I sat in shock at the spectacle. Whether the fact that people actually wore the uncomfortable contraptions such as thong underwear or that she blithely disrobed before me had stunned me to inactivity didn't matter. Both were outrageous. I wondered if that was part of my education.

"You'll need to change clothes," she said as she yanked the super tight garment into place. Then she tore her tank top off and exposed her bare breasts. Now it was my turn for my eyes to fall out of my sockets. Had this girl no modesty? And why wasn't she wearing a bra not that they would enhance her breasts shape, but good grief! "What?" she asked as she stood at full attention with only those short-shorts on.

I turned my now crimson face and busied myself with riffling through my drawers looking for something—whatever.

"Oh," she said as if a light bulb just went off. "You're queer. I get it."

"Excuse me?" I turned around. She had blissfully put on a sports bra.

"Queer, gay, lesbian?" she retorted. "It's okay. This might be the Bible belt but I'm no prude. Whatever gets your rocks off. But I don't swing that way, if you know what I mean. So keep your eyes and your hands to yourself."

I shook my head. It was like she was speaking Swahili. I understood the words but they didn't make sense.

Looking at me as if I were indeed Swahili, Mandy continued, "You were checking out my girls." She thrust out her chest and cupped her breasts with her hands. I just thought…"

I recovered enough to smile. "No, I don't 'swing that way' either. I have a boyfriend."

"Sweet! You'll have to spill the details later, but we have to go."

Invading my space again, Mandy began rummaging in my drawers with an expression of disgust at some of the contents, but eventually pulled out a pair of grey shorts and a pink t-shirt she deemed worthy. While I wordlessly got dressed she pulled on a tight fitting white t-shirt with the longhorn logo on the front. We stood side by side in front of the full length mirror. She looked like a cheerleader with her dark hair pulled up in a high pony tail and shipped her lips with a blinding pink gloss. I towered over her with an additional six inches of height and appeared too skinny next to her athletic frame.

'Let's go!" she said and was out the door.

I paused for a few seconds as I wondered at this force of nature that had invaded my life. I was curious as the extent of this girl's brazenness, so I willingly followed her out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"You would not believe how crazy she is!" I said to Jacob later that night. "All of them actually."

Jacob arrived on campus just a few hours after Edward and Bella left, but I was otherwise occupied, so I didn't get his text until after the try-outs. He moved into a campus apartment that he shares with Brady, a canine comrade from La Push. I would have loved to move in with him, but Edward wasn't ready for that so Jacob suggested not even thinking of it. Which, of course, I did, and therefore, Edward did. It wasn't pretty. Edward has a pretty active imagination. I was sure that he pictured the Black apartment to be a scene of wild sex and drunken debauchery, but alas, I was still a virgin and planned on staying that way for a while. I was only seven years old after all. Not that I was not totally turned on by Jacob.

Even now, sitting her at the Spider Bar just off campus in the outdoor courtyard cooling with the late dusk Jacob looks angelic under the eternal Christmas lights in the trees. Albeit, a swarthy angel with his russet skin, dark eyes and dark hair, but an angel nonetheless. Totally relaxed in a loose shirt, jeans and skate shoes he fits right in with the college crowd around us. But I knew that under that pleasant façade lurked an animal. Looking into his dark eyes shot tingles down my spine and an irresistible urge to launch myself over the table and kiss him madly, but I refrained. After we ordered our turkey burgers I shared with him the events of the day ending with cheer try-outs to distract myself from thinking about what laid under his shirt.

I showed him how I begged off on actually auditioning despite Mandy's puppy dog eyed pleas. However, sheer curiosity kept me on the sidelines of the basketball court as I watch Mandy through herself into the air with a series of jumps. Then she was tossed with abandon as a couple of guys joined her in basket tosses. Finally, several other contestants constructed an intricate human pyramid and her small compact form fit perfectly on top.

Just for fun I attempted to replicate one of the jumps. I effortlessly pushed my feet off the ground and flung them in front of me while I stretched my hands to touch my toes as my legs separated. Once I landed on the balls of my feet I heard several gasps around me. With fearful eyes I tried to understand what I did wrong.

"You should try out!" a girl said.

"Did you see the height on that jump?" another girl whispered to her friend beside her.

"Man, why do I even bother," a third said and walked away with shoulders low.

I caught Mandy staring at me with narrowed eyes and I quickly looked away.

I was too late. Mandy bounded over to the side where I was and gushed. "That was _fantastic_. Sure you don't want to try out?"

Again, I shook my head no and didn't miss the smug smile as Mandy ran back to the coach in the center of the court.

"I can't believe I almost gave myself away on my first day at campus!" I told Jacob.

"You should have tried out. I would have loved watching you in those short skirts," he said.

"In your dreams." Jacob's eyebrows rose appreciatively suggesting that I had correctly guessed a subject of his dreams. I smacked him on the side of his head with a blow that would have taken out a chunk of the table had it been the table I hit instead of a mythical creature.

"You look great whatever you are wearing," he chuckled.

I blushed.

That was how our relationship progressed. He would tease me and I would blush. And drool.

After my high school graduation we both attended U of A for some basic classes: English, history and the like. We still lived in the Denali region so we car pooled to campus and met each other for lunch. It was wonderful for those few hours to forget that we were somehow "special" and luxuriated in the freedom of simply being human.

Over the summer we stopped hunting. For Jacob, it was easy to give up the game. He rarely even phased anymore and I noticed the hardening of manhood creep into his once child-like face. He was beginning to look more like the twenty-four year old man he was, but not too old to be a freshman at UT-Austin. I, on the other hand, took to abstinence a little less willingly. I enjoyed the hunt and eating the rewards, too. But, I weaned myself off of blood and currently avoid red meat altogether. The enticing aroma occasionally still teased my nose and I longed for the taste and texture again, but so far I have avoided temptation. All of them.

And now temptation with a capital "T" was staring at me with those incredible eyes. Eyes that I have drowned myself in over the summer. Eyes that I have –

"Enjoy your dinner," the floppy hair waiter said before he lumbered off back to the building. He had placed our platters on the table, but messed up our orders. Jacob had the burger (extra rare, I might add) and I had the veggie burger. The aroma from the plate in front of me was making me swoon.

"I believe that is mine," Jacob announced as he reached across the table to delicately retrieve his food. My nose followed its path and slumped a little when the garden burger replaced it. With a sigh, I reached for the ketchup bottle, but Jacob had gotten there first. Our hands touched. A tiny spark of electricity went up my hand and singed through-out my body. I snatched my hand back as though burned; however, the sensation was far from painful. I looked into his amused face and blushed again. The pattern forever repeated itself.

"So, tell me more about this vixen you have for a roommate," Jacob asked and then took an enormous bite of his burger. At this rate he would finish it in three bites. His metabolism was insatiable.

I hadn't yet touched my food. I waited for the feeling to return to my fingers before I approached the ketchup bottle again. "Well, in retrospect, she's totally the cheerleader type. You know, bubbly? And in your business. She just went through my closet and drawers like they were her own. I'll be keeping my valuables at your place."

"You think she'll steal something?" Another bite gone. One more to go.

"No, but some stuff just isn't her business." My memory was like a vault. I forgot nothing, but I liked to draw sketches of my memories and some I would like to keep to myself, especially those that might tell the true relationships of my family. I was fiercely protective of my privacy. Another reason to move thousands of miles away from probing eyes who wondered about my "siblings".

"Yeah, I can see how it's weird to have a roommate. I've lived alone for so many years. Well, since you were born." Jacob looked down at his plate. It was still uncomfortable to talk about the imprinting thing. "But I think Brady will be cool."

Jacob, after my birth, moved out of La Push and into Forks, Washington to be closer to me and the Cullen family. He then followed my family's latest move to Alaska. Brady was a member of the other werewolf pack—Sam's. But since there was no longer any vampiric activity in Washington, Sam eased up on the geographic restriction and permitted the now twenty-year-old freedom to see the world. Brady was extremely intelligent and earned a scholarship that he planned to use to study education and return to the reservation. He was a very quiet and likeable guy. I could see that he would easy to live with, unlike my roommate.

"Do you like your apartment?" I asked knowing it would be a matter of time before I made it over there myself. It will serve as a sanctuary from my boundary-encroaching roommate. The fact Jacob lived there made it all the more welcoming.

Jacob finished his burger in the anticipated three bites and wiped his hands before continuing. "Yeah. It's your basic apartment: kitchen has a microwave, bathroom has a shower, bedroom has a bed. It's got everything we need," he stated with a smile, the smile that turned my insides into jelly.

"Great." I busied myself with taking the first bite of my lackluster fare. I was hungry, but this veggie burger wasn't what my body was craving.

While absently sliding a fry around a puddle of ketchup on his plate, Jacob asked." Ready for class on Monday?"

"I still have to get a couple of books. I'll stop by the bookstore on the way to orientation on Saturday."

"I thought you already read all your books over summer break," he teased popping the fry into his mouth.

"Nah, I think I was otherwise preoccupied this summer." I grin.

"Now that you mentioned it…" Jacob leaned over and planted a kiss on my quivering lips. The touch was light and full of promise. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, hell, wrap my whole body around him. But instead I pulled back and gestured to my barely touched burger.

"Not everyone eats as fast as you do." The feel of the burger on my lips felt sorely inadequate and the meat sat like a rock in my tumbling belly.

As Jacob escorted me back to my dorm, a ten minute walk from the restaurant, we held hands and appeared to be like any other college couple. I have wanted this for so long, to act and be _normal. _ Not having questioning eyes follow me around wondering if I was going to do something _vampiric._ My family loved me, but they also sheltered me. Granted, my first forays into human life weren't with a few mishaps, but I overcame them and grew from them. And now I wanted more than anything to be like the humans with whom I interacted with on a daily basis. I love my family, but spending eternity in high school was not for me. I leaned my head on Jacob's arm and he responded by wrapping that arm around my shoulder and we walked in the humid night.

"Help!"

I heard the cry and turned toward the sound. Jacob had heard it, too and fell into a partial crouch, ready to jump at whatever the threat was.

"Help!" sounded again from a female voice and was followed by laughter—male laughter.

Without a word we both half ran to the southeast where thought the sound originated. It was a fraternity house and people of both sexes were lazily sprawled across the entry steps. No one was alarmed. Soon we heard the same female voice laughing and peered up at the open window above. A blond girl, clearly intoxicated as evidence by her swaying and support offered by the guy next to her. She playfully slapped him and accepted his arms as they pulled her closer to him. Jacob and I turned to each other with shrugs.

I guess I have to learn to be more selective about what sounds I react to. I haven't lived in such a populated area. Healy, Alaska had less than a thousand people. More people were in that frat house then in my school. The University of Texas at Austin had over 50,000 students in a city of 1.6 million. The entire state of Alaska had 650,000 residents—total. I had no problem being around this many humans. I was in control of myself, but the bustling activity of so many was a little unnerving.

In front of the main door of the Kinsolving women's dorm and its signature marble outline, Jacob took me into his arms and gave me a knee-weakening kiss. "Good-night," he whispers and lopes off to his apartment. I stood on the steps looking after him as I tried to recover.

"Who was that!?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I groaned. "That was Jacob," I said.

"Wow, what a babe!" Mandy's eyes were threatening to pop out of her head again. "You have got to tell me about him!"

I sighed and made my way through the glass doors.

Kinsolving was an all-women's dorm built in the 1950s and was considered a technological marvel for its time. It housed upwards of seven hundred women in double rooms some with shared bathrooms, some with hall communal bathrooms. It had its own cafeteria, which had quite a high male attendance for a woman's facility, computer lab, rec room and blessed air conditioning and elevators.

Despite all these innovations, I had learned on my first night two annoying attributes. One, sleeping in a building with seven hundred breathing and sweating bodies was not pleasant. I heard all sorts of noises leaching through the cinder block walls as if they were made of paper: sighs, groans, mutterings, even a whimper from a girl on the third floor as she cried herself to sleep with homesickness. I stared at the ceiling until three in the morning when exhaustion finally overtook me. The second was the bathroom situation. I, in my lack of wisdom, was assigned to a communal floor. In other words, I shared a locker room with thirty women on my floor who all vied for a spot at that same time.

They came in various states of undressed, some in robes, some in t-shirts, some in underwear, all brandishing baskets of soaps, lotions and other do-dads. They left the shower floors saturated with water, toilet paper dispensers empty and sinks cluttered as they competed for valuable mirror real-estate as they slapped on makeup. I watched from the doorway until the rush cleared out at 8:30. That left me with only thirty minutes to shower, dress and get over to the coliseum by 9:00. I was a little less human this morning and finished up the bathroom chores by 8:45. I deposited my basket back in the room to find Mandy still asleep.

"Wake up! Orientation is in fifteen minutes," I said while I hesitantly shook her shoulder.

With a moan Mandy simply rolled over. I shrugged my shoulders, grabbed my back pack and headed out the door.

The freshmen were easy to spot. They were well-dressed, made up and had a perpetual look of giddiness with an undercurrent of unreserved fear. The upperclassmen, on the other hand, were much more casual in flip flops, t-shirts and unkempt hair as they slowly, but methodically, trudged their belongings into the room.

I marched to the bus stop and boarded the crowded campus bus to make my way over to the coliseum. It appeared that I wasn't the only one who was late to the showers this morning. Deodorants and wet hair were everywhere as nervous college students chatted with each other about majors and professors while casting glances at members of the opposite sex.

The occupants spilled out of the bus and joined the throng of roughly seven thousand in the NCAA Special Events Center. Nervous chatter filled the cavernous space as the spectators took in the sheer size of the facility that could seat more than twice our number and the banners that hung from the rafters declaring accolade after accolade of past winning seasons.

I took my seat about 20 rows up and was surprised when Jacob slipped in right beside me.

"Good morning," he said. He flashed me a smile that revealed perfect white teeth within his lips. I fought hard to not think about those lips.

"Good morning to you, too." I reached over and ran my fingers through his damp hair and only he and I would notice that I lingered in my touch. Our eyes locked and Jacob's smile disappeared as a look on intensity took him as he stared at me. My empty stomach did a flip.

It was only after I heard a cough that I noticed Brady sitting next to Jacob.

"Oh, morning, Brady," I said sheepishly after I returned my hands to my lap.

Brady gave a short wave in greeting. Jacob chuckled and I blushed.

"Good Morning, Longhorns!" a booming voice announced through the PA system. A stout middle-aged man wearing a white polo with an embroidered longhorn logo waving his fists with pinkie and thumbs extended greeted us on the quad-screens above center court. Needing little encouragement the student body returned the gesture with whoops and hollers. Jacob and I turned to each other with a giggle and proceeded to do the same.

After the pep rally/rules and regulations speech, we were directed to the stadium three blocks away. We marched, en masse, like a parade down Red River road to the juggernaut of a structure: Texas Memorial Stadium, a state of the art sports facility which seated over 100,000 spectators who had the privilege of watching football live instead of on TV like millions of fans throughout the country.

Waiting for us was food stands serving hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie wraps for us vegans in attendance, and a sea of tables circled the perimeter of the football field advertising every club available on campus. There had to be around two hundred organizations here from fraternities/sororities, performing arts, journalism, political, service, sports, and even video game clubs. I was overwhelmed by the vastness of the facility and the sheer number of organizations available. It was hard to remember that as a studio art major I was only one of about three hundred pursuing a fine arts bachelors degree. I was thankful I had chance to find a niche here. I felt sorry for that poor freshman who came here with no direction. And you could spot those with their wide eyes who stumbled over their own feet as they passed from table to table.

It was exhausting to watch. "I need to get to the bookstore, want to come?" I asked Jacob.

"Yeah. This is crazy" He shook his head. He was a leader, not a joiner.

After I finished picking up my every growing stack of books which Jacob chivalrously carried for me despite being no bother for me, I signed him in as a visitor to the dorm. I unlocked the door and was about to enter the room when I noticed Mandy was getting dressed.

I swiftly closed the door leaving Jacob and I in the hallway.

"Hey, what gives?" Jacob asked.

"Uh, my roommate, uh, she needs a minute." I blushed at the image of Mandy's putting on her sports bra or taking it off. I didn't know which, but good grief.

"Really? What's she doing?" Jacob reached for the doorknob and I swiped at his hand. Jacob had a mischievous smile which told me he had already gotten an eyeful. I sighed.

"I told you."

"You guys need to develop a system or something. Like put a sock on the door when you're 'unavailable'." Jacob laughed. I groaned.

"Come on in," Mandy sang through the closed door.

With trepidation I slowly opened the door and peered in. Mandy was smoothing out her sports top. When Jacob entered the room, she took her time sizing him up from his head to his toes and back up again. A sly smile appeared on her face. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and kept her eyes on his.

"So this must be the mysterious boyfriend. Let me be one of the first to welcome you to Texas." She held out her limp hand.

Jacob took it gently but didn't kiss it which I was sure was her intention. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" she laughed. "You are too cute!" Her eyes roved his body again.

"How was cheer practice?" I asked after clearing my throat.

"Tiring," she replied with a sigh as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Mandy checked her cell phone."Oh! I have to go. Practice starts up again in thirty minutes. Now y'all two behave in here while I'm gone," she crooned in that southern drawl and left the room.

"Told you she was crazy. Did you see how she had her eyes all over you? 'Now y'all behave'" I made a gagging gesture with my finger at my throat.

"She had her eyes on me, huh?" Jacob said as he took me into his arms.

I scoffed. "Surely, you noticed."

He nuzzled his face along my neck. I felt his warm breath and shivered. "Yes, I noticed. I also noticed that it made you a tinge bit jealous."

"Jealous?" I breathed. His lips drifting across the sensitive skin by my ear made it impossible to carry on this conversation.

"Um-hmm," he purred.

I closed my eyes.

"But you do understand that it is a biological certainty that I will only ever have eyes for you," he declared and abruptly pulled away.

"Don't remind me," I protested. I tightened my arms around his neck to try and force him back to me. I longed for his lips on mine.

"Hey, you heard the lady. We have to behave." Jacob released me and sat in the chair at my desk with a righteous smile.

I sat on my bed and pouted. "At least cheer practice will keep her out the room for long periods of time."

"Oh, I don't think she's so bad."

I threw a pillow at his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Monday morning came quickly. The alarm went off at 6:30a and I trudged off to the bathroom. The line was long. Almost every girl on the floor (except sleeping Mandy) waited for a shower or a sink. Five of each for the thirty of us who lived on the floor seemed inadequate. But decades of girls before us suffered through it, so I guess we could, too. The girls lined about the room had various expressions on their face: drowsy, anxious or excited. I waited semi-patiently for my turn and got down to business. I missed my private bath at home.

After I dressed, I left a still sleeping Mandy, and made my way to the dining. Thankfully, the varied menu provided me with some meatless sustenance with yogurt, hard boiled eggs and toast. Some girls, and a few guys, were well on their way to putting on the freshman fifteen giddy with the concept of all you can eat. Just because you could, didn't mean you should. There were a few hundred scattered about the tables. I sat alone and relished the freedom from conversation.

"Mind if I sit here?" asked a statuesque brunette. She was obviously a freshman with her pristine and fashionable clothes and neatly overpacked backpack. I noticed a few of the male eyes lingering over her long straight hair that reached her thin waist. Her eyes were a dark brown to match. Her skin color and texture reminded me of Jacob's.

"Please, sit," I offered and watched as she set her tray laden with eggs and bacon. I tried not to breathe in too deeply the savory aroma that made my stomach growl. I hastily swallowed another heaping spoonful of yogurt and mentally commanded my tummy to shut up. I gave a tight-lipped smile to my table mate.

"First day, huh?" she asked. Her voice had an accent I couldn't place.

"Yeah, does it show?" I chuckled.

"I think over half of the cafeteria are freshman."

I followed her scan of the room and agreed with her assessment. The sweatpants wearing upperclassmen didn't bother to sit. They were content to grab an apple or cereal bar and rush off to class.

"I guess I'll start with the obvious question. You pick a major yet?" she asked as she chewed on a piece of bacon.

"Yes, studio art. You?" I gulped another mouthful of yogurt trying to avoid looking at the bacon slice.

"I'm going to be a guinea pig for the new Native American studies program."

Ah, that explains the accent and the similarities between her and Jacob. Forgetting entirely about the bacon I said, "My boyfriend is Native American, too."

"Oh!" Exitement lit up her eyes. "What tribe?"

"Quileute."

"Ah, the Pacific Northwest. I'm from Oklahoma, Choctaw tribe. Best known for our casinos," she said with a sardonic smile and fiddled more with her bacon.

"My boyfriend, Jacob, is also here for the American Studies program."

"Really? Is he here?" She searched the room. I assumed she was looking for another dark-skinned, dark-haired man among the occupants.

"No, he's got an apartment with one of his pack-mates."

"Pack-mates?" Her eyebrows pinched.

"Uh, yeah. It's like a club." I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head with the hope that she thought it was just a silly clique thing.

She looked at me puzzled for moment then checked her ringing cell phone.

"It's time to get the show on the road." She stood and picked up her tray-half of her food still remained. "It was great to meet you. I hope to run into you again. My name is Nita."

"Same here. My name is Nessie. Well, really, Renesmee." I rose to leave as well. We cleared our trays and returned to get our backpacks. "I'm in room 512. Come visit anytime."

"Thanks. I'm in 204. See ya!" She waved was walked with purpose out the door.

I couldn't wait to tell Jacob about my potential new friend.

"My classes are huge!" I told Jacob over lunch. "I swear my biology class has a thousand students in it!" It was probably closer to three hundred, but a large class nonetheless.

"My first class, English Comp, was big too. But my History class was downright tiny, only five students," he said and then slurped up a huge spoonful of spaghetti.

"What class was that?" I took a bite of my salad.

"Intro to Native American Studies."

"Oh, I need to tell you about this girl I meet this morning, Nita."

"I know who you are talking about. The tall girl from Oklahoma, right?"

"Yeah," I said, surprised. I felt an unexplained pang of jealousy and my fork hovered over my salad.

"We introduced ourselves during class. Four of us are Natives, the lone ranger is a pale face from Virginia," he said with a smirk and took another slurp.

"Jacob?" a female voice asked. Speak of the devil. "Nessie? I thought that was you!" Nita plopped down beside Jacob with a plate of spaghetti and a warm smile. "What do you think of the class so far? I think it's a great way to start the class by giving presentations of our own tribal histories. Not sure what Jessica is going to do." She laughed with a sense of familiarity I found disturbing. I assumed Jessica was the 'pale-face' Jacob referred to earlier. I knew the feeling of being left out of the discussion, an obvious pale-face myself.

To make matters worse Brady was making his way through the lunchroom throng. Now I was outnumbered. Brady was shorter than Jacob, but not by much. He had dark hair and dark eyes, like most of his tribal members, but he had sweetness about him like he didn't have a care in the world and a smile for everyone he met. And he had a wide one for Nita as he sat down at our now crowded table. Nita sized him up and smiled back. Soon Nita and Brady were deep in conversation about the plight of the Native American education system.

"I have to go. My one o'clock starts soon," I announced the table as I picked up my tray.

"I'll walk with you," Jacob said.

Nita watched Jacob get up and waved at us. "See y'all"

It was strange hearing the southern twang in her voice. I guess Oklahoma wasn't that far from Texas. She then turned her full attention to Brady who seemed to bask in all the attention.

"I'm glad Brady has someone to talk to about all that militant stuff."

I look quizzically at Jacob.

"Oh, you should hear him talk. He's all about Native American rights and how the white man oppressed our peoples, which they did, but I believe that we make our own fate." He turned to me totally unaware of how ironic that statement was. I was his imprint—a function of his nature that was not in his control that destined him to love only me. "Anyways, keeping the pack in line is a full-time job in and of itself; I don't need to add activism to the list."

"You still perform your 'duties'? I thought when we, meaning the Cullens, moved to Alaska and you moved too that things were back to normal?"

"Oh, they are." He stared out to the distance. "I don't know what I'm talking about. Let's get you to class."

We took the bus across campus to the Fine Arts building. I was looking forward to my first art class: drawing foundations. Jacob gave me a kiss before we parted that left me staggering. His next class wasn't until 3:00 so he was going to run the track at the stadium across the street. He won't be able to run as fast as he could in the wilds of Alaska, but he needed to stretch his legs out. I briefly wished I could join him, but I was looking forward to my class too much.

After my lecture I went to meet Jacob at the track and found him talking to Mandy. She wore shorts and t-shirt like the girls who crowded around her and Jacob. He must have been enjoying the attention.

"Oh hi, Nessie," Mandy said.

The other girls snickered at my name. I wondered what Mandy had been saying about me.

"Jacob here was making great time around the track. I am surprised he isn't on the track team. He would be a great asset, I'm sure." Mandy put her arm around his as she said this.

I wanted to wipe that satisfied smile from her face. I settled for tightening my fists held firmly at my sides.

"Jacob, you'll be late for next class," I called out. He had an hour, but I wanted him out of here—now.

Mandy pouted and said, "Well, you're welcome here anytime."

A whistle blew and a woman in an orange and white jacket called out, "Come on ladies, first game is Saturday! Let's get to work! And, you, too, gentlemen."

A group formed around the coach while Jacob and I made our way to the bus stop.

"So what was that all about?" I asked unable to keep the scorn out of my voice.

"What was what all about?" He replied.

I sighed. "You can't be that clueless, Jacob."

"You're jealous." His smile was smug.

"Ugh. No I am not." Well, maybe I was. A little. I obviously was not handled well Jacob receiving all this female attention.

"You know you are the only girl I see, right?" He touched his lips against my ear.

I had to admit he had a convincing argument when he was so close. I closed my eyes and leaned into him. He continued his lazy exploration of my neck. The bus stopped suddenly and I had to brace myself to keep from falling to the floor though Jacob had a vice grip on me. I caught the smirk on the bus driver in the rearview mirror as a scattering of passengers chuckled. I had to stop losing all sense of time and place when I was with Jacob. But his presence was so distracting.

"My stop." Jacob stood up and smiled as he exited the bus.

I swooned in spite of myself.

"Yes, Mom, school is great. The food is decent and I like all my classes so far," I told Mom later that night as I was reading for my English assignment.

"And Jacob?" Mom asked.

"He's doing great, too. I'm sure he'd like a call, too." I knew the real question was how "are 'we' doing". _Jacob and I are still keeping our clothes on_, I thought for Dad's benefit and chuckled at inevitable reaction. I swore I heard a growl over the phone.

"Now, Sweetheart, your father only wants what's best for you. I'm glad you are doing well at school. We love you."

"Love you, too."

I closed the phone with a sigh. I didn't really miss them too much until I heard their voices. I wanted to touch them but had to be content with talking with them. Bella and Edward were still play-acting high school students and their first day was tomorrow. I didn't envy them one bit.

Nita and I stood in the cafeteria line while my roommate blissfully slept in. Mandy worked out her schedule so she took mostly night classes so she could sleep in the morning and have cheer practice in the afternoon. That schedule worked perfect for me. Nita's roommate was a mousy girl who kept to herself and her computer: she was a blogger and a gamer who barely acknowledged Nita's existence.

The cafeteria buzzed with urgent whispers. I eavesdropped on a few of the conversations and sucked in a startled breath when I heard the main topic: murder. I turned to Nita with wide eyes and mimicked my peers by whispering "There has been a murder on campus."

"What?" Nita exclaimed. "How do you know?"

I swept my hand in an arc at the room, "It's all anyone is talking about."  
"What happened?"

"I don't know." But I was determined to find out. After setting down our trays I said, "I'm going to find a newspaper." I raced to the front desk and found the newspaper display was empty: sold out. I scanned the tables on the way back to the cafeteria and found a discarded first page.

"Freshman Killed at UT Austin," the headline read. I grabbed the paper and ran back to the table.

"That was fast," Nita said as I sat down. "But the internet is faster," she smirked as she held up her blackberry with the same headline on its display.

"What does it say?"

Our breakfast was getting cold, but we didn't care as Nita read the article aloud. Soon other students were leaning back in their seats to listen in.

"The as-yet unnamed eighteen year old female was brutally murdered on the campus of UT Austin last night. The investigators arrived on the scene outside the Andrews dormitory, where the victim resided for only three days as classes started yesterday." Listeners gasped. Andrews was just one block down from Kinsolving as part of the "Quad". "The incident occurred at approximately three-thirty in the morning in the outside courtyard shared with three other dormitories housing approximately 600 students. Her body was found by fellow residents who immediately contacted campus security who, in turn, summoned Austin law enforcement. The investigators suspect foul play due to the nature of the wounds inflicted: ligature marks on wrists and ankles suggested that the victim was tied prior to her death. Other details, which the police are withholding at this time, also suggest that this act was indeed murder.

"Campus officials advise students, especially female students, to exercise caution around walking around campus during evening hours and encourage use of a buddy system. Campus security will patrol the campus and offer students escorts if desired. 'Red campus phones are scattered across the campus and will be tested on Tuesday morning. All students should feel free to use these phones or call Campus Security at 512-555-1800 if they see anything suspicious. We advise all students to use caution, but not to be alarmed. All authorities are giving this matter their utmost attention,' said Officer Mark Murphy, head of Campus Security.

"Classes are to be held as scheduled on Tuesday."

Silence followed.

My eight o'clock English class could do little but talk about the incident. The teacher tried to ease the students' fears by putting it into perspective.

"We should all pray for the family and friends of that poor girl. But we should remember that at any given time there are seventy thousand people on campus in a city of a million and half. Statistically it is unlikely that anything like this will happen again and the police will do their job. Now, let us get to work," the professor said.

The thirty of us in the small classroom were not comforted.

Morbid curiosity drew me and, apparently hundreds of others, outside the Andrews dormitory. Wide eyed students whispered amongst themselves by the front steps. A tribute was already in place as flowers and candles lined the walls. A blurry picture was displayed in a frame. It was a photocopy of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl that smiled with the promise of a limitless future. I watched as the display grew as more students filed past to honor the deceased freshman.

Later that afternoon, television crews from the local affiliate stations broadcasted live from those steps. Students, both somber with candles and comical (thrilled to be on TV regardless of the reason), posed by the backdrop of the ever growing memorial while the reporter breathlessly reported that no additional details had been released and no suspects were in custody.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Everything okay?" Edward asked when he called that night. His tenor was calm, but not without his usual constant undercurrent of anxiety.

"Yes, thanks for asking," I said.

"Do you mind if I…take a peek?"

Touched by the concern in his voice and the graciousness of his request, I did not deny him.

"Yes, of course." I opened my mind for his perusal. I shared the details on campus regarding the murder. Afterwards, I showed him the campus, friends and classes. I specifically withheld anything about Jacob.

"It appears everything is indeed alright. Thank you," Relief breathed out with every word he said.

"No, thank you, Daddy," I was grateful that my father treated me with respect by asking to read my mind instead of just invading it as he did with disturbing regularity in the past.

"You're welcome." A wave of homesickness passed over me as I longed to wrap my arms around him. "Me, too," he said.

"How is everyone?"

"Your mother and I are back at T-V for our senior year." Tri-Valley was the all-inclusive school in Healy where I graduated from just last December. "Same place, same people. Jennifer says hello."

I smiled at the name of my best friend. I made a mental note to email as soon I got off the phone. She was a senior this year, too. I graduated early, at only sixteen 'human' years because of my superior intellect, at least that's what they called it. I attributed it to just paying attention. I was homeschooled and only attended formal school for one semester. I learned a lot, the vast majority of which had little to do with classroom lectures.

"How is Carlisle and Esme, Rose and Emmett?" Rose and Emmett as way to protect me last year willingly ran off to Las Vegas to get married for the fifth time and have been relishing the role while living in Europe.

"Rosalie and Emmett are in France now. Carlisle is working with the Red Cross for a blood drive. His staff is pestering him mercilessly as to why his children aren't participating."

I chuckle. "And Alice and Jasper?" They would be juniors now.

"They are doing well, but Alice say's it isn't the same without you."

Another pang squeezes my heart.

"I have to second her sentiment. You are deeply missed. But I am also pleased you are doing so well. You make me proud.

"I'll check with Alice about that poor girl and I know she'll see the police putting that abomination behind bars soon," Edward promised.

"Let me know what she finds out. Send everyone my love. I have to go—homework." I knew I would start crying if I didn't get off this phone soon. Talking to my dad was always very emotional for me.

"Of course. And, say hello to Jacob, as well," he requests.

I braced myself for some snarky comment about Jacob and me and 'us', but it didn't come, another surprise from the new and improved dad. If I knew he could be this reasonable I would have moved away months ago. I was certain Mom had a bit to do with his attitude adjustment.

"I'm glad you approve, but don't push it," Edward chuckles.

"I won't, Dad. Love you."

"I love you, too, Sweetheart. Good night."

A consequence of the internet/twitter age was that attention spans could be measured in nanoseconds especially in self-centered young adults. The incident on campus was still remembered, but life had slipped into comfortable normality again within days. The vigil outside Anderson hall had diminished. By Friday morning the whisperings around campus centered on making plans for the first football game on Saturday.

Mandy had been blissfully absent from the dorm by extra practice sessions, which was a good thing, since I needed the solitude to study. It appears that my courses at UT Austin were a bit more rigorous than U of A. My English professor requested that we finish reading our first novel by next week. He promised a quiz which would serve as sufficient motivation to do so. I admit I didn't read much. My mind stumbled over all the black letters on white paper. I was much better with charts, illustrations and graphs. Therefore biology, which was supposedly a make it or break it course for many freshman, proved easier to handle.

"Good Morning, Nessie," Nita said using my old nickname at breakfast. Spending time with my La Push friends had obviously rubbed off on her.

Speaking of which, I nodded a welcome to Brady sitting beside her. I smiled. He had made himself a fixture in Nita's orbit. I noted the close proximity with which they were sitting and determined that their conversations haven't only been about Native American customs. I took my seat beside Jacob. Our eyes locked for a moment of unspoken communication before returning to our plates. I proceeded to ignore the mouthwatering aroma of the sausage patties on his. I needed to rethink this whole vegetarian thing, I thought as I seasoned my oatmeal with honey.

"Morning, everyone," I said. "You guys should have just gotten a dorm room with how often you eat on campus."

"No way I want to be in that close of quarters with this dog," Brady smiled as he elbowed Jacob in the ribs. I hoped Nita believed the 'dog' reference was a term of endearment in the same vein of Randy Jackson. "The food is better here. Neither of us can cook."

I knew Jacob could at least boil water. One night he made dinner for me, spaghetti and Ragu with garlic bread. Maybe eggs and bacon were out of his reach, but the meal was delicious. I remembered the red-checkered tablecloth on his father's dining table illuminated with a dozen taper candles. He looked so handsome in the flickering light. He served the food on real dishes and flatware. The centerpiece of Chianti woven bottle added a romantic touch. We held hands and shared a strand of spaghetti that we slurped in Disney's 'Lady and the Tramp' tradition. I recalled bopping our heads together instead of ending in a sweet kiss. But, all the more reason to try again and we did, repeatedly. In retrospect, maybe the company was more appetizing than the food, but we had a great time, regardless. That was until Edward texted me with some whatnot. I frowned at the memory, but I remembered the phone conversation from last night and decided to not dwell on Mr. Nosy's old antics anymore.

"Yeah, the food is surprisingly decent," I said. Well, that which I permit myself to eat, I didn't add. "Any news on the murder?"

"It's not on the front page anymore," Nita said as she checked her Blackberry. "Tomorrow's game is the headline."

"As to be expected. What are everybody's plans for tonight?" I asked.

"Definitely not the pep rally," Nita said with disdain.

"What would Mandy think?" I gasped then chuckled.

"Whose Mandy?" Brady asked. His heaping pile of eggs was rapidly disappearing. He ate like Jacob.

"My roommate." I guessed they had not met yet, lucky him. "She's a cheerleader and is busy with practices, pep rally and the game, of course. I don't know when she goes to class or studies."

"How about a movie? " Jacob offered. "I hear good things about 'Destiny: Alliance'." He loved his science fiction movies.

"Oh, Brady and I were thinking of attending the lecture tonight on race relations in the U.S. It'll probably focus on African-Americans but we're hoping for a question answer session afterwards," Nita said while Brady nodded his head and kept his eyes on her. I wondered which held the most appeal, Nita's presence or the lecture.

"Sounds like fun," I chuckled. I had listened to enough lectures this week. " But I think I'll pass. I'll go to the movies with you, Jacob."

"Figures," Nita teased.

By mid-afternoon the campus climate had changed to a more jovial mood. The greenbelts across campus filled with students lounging with books and tossing Frisbees or footballs despite the mid-nineties temperature. My classes were finished for the day and I gave myself permission to not open another book until tomorrow.

Jacob and I met at the track for a run. We weren't the only ones with this brilliant idea; however, Jacob and I maintained a pace that few could match.

"We should slow down. That poor kid is going to pass out if we don't," I said. A well-toned twenty-year-old was huffing a few yards behind us. He was desperate to keep up.

"You're no fun," he pouted, but he did slow down a bit. As we rounded the next turn, that kid passed us with a smile of triumph. "Happy?"

"Very." I smiled.

"This full-time human thing is a pain sometimes," Jacob lamented. Our footfalls landed together as he shortened his stride so I could stay by his side. I was breathing normally on our fourth lap and had yet to break a sweat, but Jacob, while not panting, breathed heavily through his nose as beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"Are you alright?" I asked not breaking stride. He rarely showed any signs of exertion regardless of the task.

"Yeah." He wiped his brow and looked at his sweat covered hand. "This heat is getting to me."

"I guess you're human, after all," I gently teased. Jacob's core body temp measure at well over 100 degrees and with air temperatures to match, he suffered. I listened for his heartbeat and noticed its unusually accelerated pace. "Maybe we call it a day," I said keeping the alarm out of my voice.

"Okay." Jacob, breathing through his mouth now, jogged to the sidelines where we left out backpacks. He opened his, pulled out a liter sized water bottle, no doubt warmed by the sun, and drank it all without a break. "Ah, that's better." He tossed the empty bottle at the green trash can.

"Man, I'm sweating a like a pig," he said and proceeded to strip his shirt off and held up the damp garment. Every girl and a few guys in the immediate vicinity stopped to admire his revealed physic. He didn't work out other than his daily run but his developed arms, pecs and six pack abs said otherwise. Glistening with sweat he looked ready to enter a lightweight body-building competition. I fought to control my own breathing and heart rate as my eyes raked over his form. Damn, he was hot.

All too soon, he pulled on a clean t-shirt from his back pack after he threw the old garment away in the orange trash can.

"You don't do laundry?" I teased.

He laughed. "I don't want to carry that thing home," he said.

The runners still on the track resumed their regular pace. A few girls looked at me with curiosity probably trying to determine the nature of our relationship. To answer their unspoken question, Jacob picked up his backpack and put his arm around my shoulders. The girls turned away disappointed. I wore a smug smile as we walked to the parking lot.

We stopped at his cherry red 1996 Ford Mustang. Not quite the same as the Shelby he restored last year (oh, how he hated to return that car when he was finished) but it worked. He got bit by the Mustang bug and scoured all of Denali until he found a shell of a car that fit his modest budget. He spent the summer restoring it. I had to admit, and I was not a car person, that it was a sweet ride. The convertible ragtop was down revealing the smooth leather seats. Jacob opened the door for me. When he turned the key in the ignition, the engine made a satisfying growl. He pulled out of the parking lot bringing more attention his way.

We drove just three short blocks before we approached a modest apartment community made up of three two-story brick-faced buildings. We ascended the stairs to the far left building and Jacob inserted his key into the corner door lock.

"It's not much, but it's home," Jacob said and he waved me through the threshold. Actually it was quite an improvement over his garage apartment in Alaska. Clean carpets and intact blinds on the windows as well as unstained countertops indicated that this community maintained its units. The furnishings looked familiar as did the electronics and scattered clothing. The dining table functioned as office space with dual laptops and stacks of textbooks.

"It's nice," I said as I sat down on the leather couch after moving a stack of laundry to the coffee table littered with old chip bags and video game controllers. And it was a nice apartment. I wondered how long it would remain so with two bachelors living here.

"Thanks," Jacob said as tossed me a bottle of water he grabbed from the fridge. He walked into the living room, drank half of his bottle in one sip and announced, "I stink. I need a shower. Make yourself at home."

I nodded. I didn't notice any scent difference, just Jacob – intensified. Then I thought about him in the shower and I blushed. Feeling a bit warm myself I drank heavily from the water bottle as I tried to refrain from thinking about Jacob's naked chest in the shower.

I grabbed my cell phone in preparation for the inevitable call. Thinking about Jacob unclothed usually prompted an urgent text from you-know-who, especially if I am sitting, alone, in his apartment. I cradled the phone for several minutes and was stunned when Jacob materialized in the living room and the phone remained silent. I was putting down the phone as Jacob reached across me to grab some jeans from the clothing stacked on the coffee table.

With eyes wide I gulped as his bare and still damp chest was inches from my face. I pulled back as I also noticed that he was only wearing a beige towel around his mid-section. He disappeared from the living room within a second, but it was long enough to wind me more than the kid on the track today. I eyed the phone suspiciously; expecting that old familiar ringtone to sound, but nothing came. Soon Jacob reentered the room wearing a t-shirt and jeans and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You want to play Grand Theft Auto six?" He offered as he casually plopped himself down beside me.

"Sure." My voice cracked.

We got a quick bite to eat at an Indian restaurant Jacob found that specialized in vegetarian dishes. I noticed Jacob paid with the check card that Carlisle provided for him. I smiled warmly at him.

Jacob, being Jacob and Lord knows I loved him, resisted Carlisle's suggestion at first. A couple of weeks before we traveled to Texas, my parents and Carlisle meet with Jacob. It seemed that a new scholarship program opened up at the Quileute reservation for those who wanted to study tribal culture and Jacob qualified. It was no secret who funded the generous program that included a monthly stipend. Carlisle finally convinced him to accept their generosity by appealing to his sense of family.

"Carlisle sat me down and said, 'Jacob, you are a member of this family despite whatever relationship you have with Renesmee. Because of your continued loyalty we are still together, so please accept this token of appreciation and thanks'," Jacob said as he recounted the story. "How could I refuse? He's very persistent. He's a great doctor and knows exactly what to say to get his patients to agree to anything. They probably thank him when he tells them they got cancer because he has such a bedside manner."

I laughed knowing exactly what Jacob meant. "Well, I for one am happy you accepted because now you don't have to work while in school and can spend more time, and money, with me."

Jacob gave my lips a quick peck and took one last bite off his plate. I tasted the spices as the waiter took the bill.

We laughed through the movie earning us some glares from the patrons sitting by us, but we didn't care. The movie was a good one, better than most, but had its share of cheesy moments and plot holes big enough to drive a truck through and we took pride in pointing them out to each other.

Jacob walked me to the dorm a few minutes before midnight. The balmy night cooled the air and the wind swirled my hair about my head. Jacob pushed it back into place and with his hands still cradling my face brought his lips over mine in a lingering kiss that made me light-headed. I gasped for air as we broke apart and saw Jacob's eyes smolder. I knew then the kiss affected him as much as me.

"Good night," he said.

"Good night," I said to his parting form.

With feet as light as air I made my way into the building and bounded up the stairs two at a time. I unlocked my door and stopped in my tracks.

In Mandy's bed I saw two bodies, both naked. A decidedly male form with blonde hair was moving methodically despite having two feminine legs wrapped around his bare buttocks. Moans escaped from both of them as I backed out the door unnoticed. I closed the door as gently as I could and slid down the wall. I sat in the hallway as I listened for them to stop. I blushed at some of the colorful language emanating from within and decided it was best for me to move and made my way back down the stairs to the lobby area.

I picked up a discarded newspaper from a table and began to read:

_Additional details have been released by Austin detectives regarding Monday's UT Campus murder. Robin Welks, 18, from Ponder, Texas has been positively identified by her parents on Wednesday. Ms. Welks was a freshman at UT Austin planning to study English. Mrs. Preston Welks commented that her daughter was "a bright and sweet soul and will be sorely missed by her two younger brothers." Autopsy results on Wednesday proved that Ms. Welks was indeed murdered. Cause of death was ruled as exsanguination from multiple wounds. It did not appear as though the body had been moved suggesting that the crime took place in the courtyard where the body was discovered on Monday morning with hours of her death. Police have been interviewing family and friends as well as UT students to determine who and why anyone would want to hurt Ms. Welks. As of yet, no suspects have been reported. Students are still advised to use caution when traveling at night— _

The sound of the stairway door startled me. I looked up in time to see Mandy's mysterious lover adjust his fly as he walked to the front door. I put the paper down and climbed the stairs to my room.

I dreaded the conversation that awaited me and was pleasantly surprised to find Mandy quiet in bed, pretending sleep. I listened as her heart rate and breathing slowed into a mellow cadence. Without warning, I remembered Jacob's bare chest inches from me and for a brief moment I wondered what it would be like for Jacob and me to--. I shook my head and willed myself to self.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_The dimly lit valley was green and lush with vegetation clinging to every available surface from the vast canopy of evergreens to the moss covered rocks. The air, thick with moisture, sat like a physical thing over the landscape. The screech of a hawk announced that it had found its prey and it was not alone. Another hunter focused on the rhythmic thumping of a heart not more than a quarter of a mile away. Stealthily, the hunter approached. Its footfalls muffled by the spongy forest floor. The hunter crouched down and prepared to launch at the unsuspecting victim when out of the corner of an eye, the hunter spotted a shadowy, spectral form. Startled, the hunter stood and listened as both prey and apparition scampered away._

***

A buzzing sound roused me from my dream. I turned my cheek onto a damp pillow. I grimaced realizing I had been drooling in my sleep. I shook my head at my pathetic unconscious. I recalled dreaming about a deer, a luscious smelling deer from behind the Cullen house at Forks. I haven't hunted those grounds in over a year and haven't hunted an animal in three months. My stomach grumbled over the memory. Traitor, I cursed. I struggled to identify what else was with me in that forest, peripheral, hidden. But the incessant buzzing demanded my attention. It was just a dream and probably didn't matter anyway.

The illuminated screen on my phone revealed that Jacob called. I also noted the time: seven o'clock.

"Hello," I whispered confident he could hear me. Mandy's bed held a warm, breathing occupant and she moaned in protest at the noise. She covered her head with her blanket, rolled over and went back to sleep. "Jake – it's seven in the morning!"

"I know, and good morning to you, too," he chuckled using his normal volume. Apartment life had its advantages.

"Yeah, good morning. Why are you calling so early?"

"Early? Ness, the sun is up. Sunrise was at 7:02."

I shook my head and sat up bringing my knees to my chest. "That doesn't answer my question. Why are you calling?"

"Want to go for a run?"

"Now?"

"Yes, now," he laughed again.

"Ok, let me get dressed."

"Meet you in five."

"Sure." I clicked off the phone. I guess a shower could wait until after, but teeth couldn't. I quietly got dressed in shorts, t-shirt and gathered my shoes and shower bag. I opened the door.

"Where are you going? It's Saturday. Practice isn't until nine," Mandy mumbled still half asleep with her arm shielding her eyes from the hallway light.

"Going for a run," I answered as I hesitated in the doorway.

"Have fun," Mandy scoffed and rolled over.

The dorm was eerily quiet except for the sounds of slumber. I stopped in the cafeteria to grab a cereal bar from the bleary-eyed workers. One looked at me with incredulity as I was the only patron at this ungodly hour. I offered an apologetic smile as she swiped my id.

"You're late," Jacob teased when I strolled onto the track. The time was 7:16. "Daylight's burning."

I groaned and we started with a warm-up lap. The only sound was our footfalls in syncopation as we circled the quarter-mile track in two minutes. Wordlessly, we increased the pace and completed the next lap in only one minute. Then with grins, we took the next two laps within the same time frame. Laughing, we slowed down to a more human pace of six mph. Neither of us had broken a sweat.

"Ok, there's something to be said about an early morning jog," I admitted.

The stadium was deserted with everyone still asleep from the festivities last night and the anticipation of the big game tonight. In just a few short hours this area would bustle with activity: shops and concessions would stock their shelves, television crews would begin their preparations and the athletes would be making their way around the track in warm-up laps much like us but at a far less demanding pace. But for now, the track belonged to us.

By 8:00 a.m. we completed our five mile run and slowed to a walk just as another pair approached the track. They passed us as they increased their pace. By their third lap they were breathing hard and we could hear their elevated heart rates as well as see the trickles of sweat coursing down their faces. We, on the other hand, looked like we hadn't even started our workout yet- our clothes as crisp as when we got here.

We sat down on a bench and watched the runners pass by. Jacob grabbed two water bottles and handed one to me. We both took long pulls.

"So, what inspired this?" I asked.

"I figured it was quiet and…cooler," he admitted.

I turned to look at him and noted that his face was dry and his heart beat at its normal pace. Cooler was definitely better for Jacob, I thought.

"What do we do now?" I asked after watching the pair circle the track a few times.

"How about some breakfast?"

"Perfect!"

We stood up and while walking towards the parking lot and Jacob's red mustang we noticed several white school vans pull up. The sliding side door on the one closet to us revealed a half dozen people one of which was a bleary-eyed Mandy. However, she perked up remarkably fast once she caught sight of Jacob and bounded to his car.

"Hey there, Jake. I didn't expect to see you this morning. What a pleasant surprise," she gushed while peering up at him. The height difference between the two of them was almost comical with Jake towering over her. It almost made you want to pat her pretty little head like a poodle.

"Yeah, we just finished our run," I interjected putting my arm through "Jake's". It was as if I wasn't there.

"Finished your run? Why, Jake, you haven't even broken a sweat." Visual confirmation obviously wasn't enough. She reached out and touched his unoccupied arm. "But you certainly are hot." She actually kept a straight face as her fingers lingered on his hand.

I wanted to gag right then and there. Or hit her. Yeah, the latter would work.

"Yea, well, nice seeing you, too, Mandy. Come on, Ness, let's get some grub," Jacob stepped out of Mandy's reach and escorted me to the passenger door of the Mustang. I didn't bother to hide my smirk of victory.

"Maybe next time. I bet I could make you work up a sweat if we went for a run," Mandy said over her shoulder.

What was with this girl? "I doubt your _boyfriend_ would approve," I snickered and immediately regretted letting her get to me like that.

"Ha! That wasn't my boyfriend, silly girl." I assumed the use of the word girl was a slam against my naivety. "Trey is just my fuck-buddy. You should get one. It would do wonders for your attitude. Though I am sure Jake could show you a thing or two." Laughing she joined the others who piled out of the vans. I am sure they heard every word and I slid into the passenger seat fuming, shocked into silence with cheeks blazing.

I still couldn't bring myself to utter a syllable until we got to the IHOP. The hostess who sat us kept casting curious glances back at us as we followed her to a corner booth. Something in my expression must have clued her in that I wasn't in a socialable mood.

"Everything okay, Ness?" Jacob asked.

I looked up at him surprised as if waking from a daze. I nodded and picked up my menu knowing I would be ordering the usual: eggs, bacon and pancakes.

Jacob gave me a quizzical look and decided to leave well enough alone as he picked up his own menu. The waitress took our orders and left us to our coffee.

"Seriously, what's up?" Jacob asked again.

"It's nothing, really. Mandy just gets on my nerves. I can't put my finger on it, but she just rubs me the wrong way," I said.

"I think you need to get away for awhile. It is Saturday, you know."

"Where?"

"How about we explore Austin a little bit. Check out Sea World?"

I brighten. Maybe a day away from campus would be good especially with all the football hoopla going on. "Let's do it!"

Jacob and I were one of the first ones through the gates at Sea World. The park was relatively empty during the early hours. Jacob coaxed a reluctant dolphin close to the edge so he could feed it sardines. I kept a respectful distance content to watch rather than touch.

Most animals shied away from me sensing that I wasn't altogether human while animals readily approached Jacob likewise sensing he was more like them than other human spectators. Jacob and I had to curtail our infrequent visits to zoos because the animals would get too worked up around me, especially predators. One time a lion uncharacteristically lunged at me despite the reinforced fencing separating us. Scared little children ran into their anxious mother's arms while looking at me with awe. Humans could ignore what animals can't.

Thankfully no such incidents occurred during Jacob and I's visit. We watched the graceful killer whales perform as well as the sea otters in their respective shows. The penguins waddled around in their frigid exhibit. We cooled off by spending the afternoon rushing down water slides and riding the lazy river in the park's own water park. Our competitive spirit got the best of us as we turned each attraction into a contest: who could slide the faster (I won - lighter and thinner) and who could hold their breath the longest (he won – larger lung capacity). I might have watched Jacob more than the stopwatch during this contest so the results might be a little off. We decided against the largest splash contest as we didn't want to get evicted from the park. I was positive I would win, regardless.

Soon the reprieve was over and we made our way back to campus. The festivities were in full swing as evidenced by the barrage of orange and white that greeted us at every turn: banners, posters, and attire of pedestrians. It was only five o'clock and the game was scheduled for seven, but judging from the size of the crowds and traffic one would think they were already late.

Fortunately, Jacob's off campus apartment had a strict resident only parking regulation so we did not have to compete for a space. On the way to Jacob's building we noticed barbeque grills working overtime as plumes of smoke rose around the courtyard. The smoke also carried the delicious scents of various roasting meats. I detected chicken, pork sausage and beef – lots of beef. I swallowed the influx of saliva in my mouth and attempted, lamely, to ignore the cries of my stomach demanding 'real' food.

Jacob opened the door. There on the couch sat Nita and Brady in a suggestive posture. They immediately separated and commenced straightening hair and adjusting clothing all the while wearing sheepish grins and blushing cheeks. Jacob and I shared a knowing smile and said nothing.

"Hey guys. Where did you guys go?" Brady asked as he snatched up empty drink containers and made his way to the kitchen.

"We hung out a Sea World for the day. What did you guys do?" Jacob asked knowing full well what they were doing. Nita's swollen lips and Brady's distracted movements told the tale.

"Uh, just hung around here. You know?"

Jacob and I tried to hide our smirks. "Cool."

"What time you heading to the game?" Brady asked as he continued to tidy up the apartment picking up papers, stacking books, throwing away trash. If he kept this up the place would be clean within the hour.

"Kick-off is in two hours. You guys coming?"

Brady sent a startled look to Nita who shook her head in disdain.

"Watching a bunch of over-muscled, dim-witted boys smash into each other is not what I call entertainment," Nita announced.

Jacob and I raised our eyebrows. "Okay, then."

Brady shrugged his shoulders. You could tell the poor boy was smitten by the puppy dog eyes he gave Nita and the abandonment of football. The pack would play football any chance they could get on the reservation if they weren't watching it on TV.

Turning to me, Jacob said, "I need a shower. You mind waiting?"

"No, please. I probably need one, too," I said though there was no probably about it – the chlorine from the pool burned my nose still.

"Of course. You can go first. I'll find you a clean towel."

I wasn't sure what I was going to do for clean clothes but the idea of a shower was irresistible. Jacob showed me into the cramped bathroom and brought me a fresh smelling towel and a new bar of soap and closed the door leaving me alone. Wonderful privacy! Even though three people were just on other side of the wall, it was nice to have a bathroom all to myself.

I started the shower turning the hot water on all the way. Hopefully, I would leave some hot water for Jacob, but I planned on using a lot of it. As the water heated up I studied myself in the mirror over the sink. My hair hung in clumps around my head and my cheeks were a bright pink from the sun. I glanced around the cluttered sink and saw a bunch of toothbrushes, uncapped toothpaste tubes, various deodorants, and shaving accouterments. Hair stubble lined the sink along with bits of toothpaste residue. Gross.

I stood there thinking about my experiences at university so far: my eccentric roommate, Brady and Nita's budding romance, the campus murder and the dream I had this morning. I vaguely remembered the wispy images when I noticed the mirror fogging up in front of me. The shower was ready. I stepped into the hot spray and lost myself until the water ran cool. Uh oh, sorry Jake. I wrapped myself in the towel, stepped out and remembered my clothing situation. Confused, I tried to find my clothes, instead, I found a pile of clothes on the toilet seat.

I blushed knowing that Jacob had entered the bath room while I was showering. The thought of him being in the same room with me naked caused my face to flush. I was definitely getting a call from Dad tonight for that one. I examined the clothing. It looked like a pair of jeans that would fit Nita. She was a little shorter than me but hey, they could pass for capris. They also were a bit tight in the waist, but not unbearably so. A burnt orange Longhorn adorned tee completed the ensemble. I did have to wear my old undergarments. I pulled my hair into a pony tail and felt good.

"Well, there she is," Jacob said as I ventured out into the living room. He sat on the couch playing a video game. His shirt was wadded up on the floor and I couldn't help but notice the smooth exposed skin. "Hope you don't mind the clothes. It was all I could find on such short notice."

"No, no. They're good. Thanks. Hope you don't mind that I used up all the hot water."

Jacob laughed. "You were in there long enough. I'll give it about fifteen minutes to heat back up."

"Where's Brady and Nita?" I asked noticing that only Jacob was in the room.

"They went to go get some dinner. Restaurants are probably deserted right about now."

I nodded. It was Jacob and me, alone and he wasn't wearing a shirt and I wore stale underwear.

"Want something to eat or drink?" Jacob rummaged in the fridge and came up with water and chips.

"Water sounds good," I said. Water did sound good since my throat was dry.

"Must have been a hot shower. You look flushed," Jacob said as he handed me a water bottle.

"Yeah." Sure the water temperature had to do with how warm I felt right now. I drank absent-mindedly from the bottle as I forced myself to look at the TV instead of him. I tried to fathom the difference between seeing him here in the apartment versus at Sea World today. I could only think that since other people were around us I was able to keep my fantasies at bay. However, in the privacy of his apartment with no roommates in sight, my mind was free to wander. And wander it did. I considered those arms around me. Those hands touching me, caressing me as he slowly disrobed me…

"You okay?" Jacob asked.

"Huh?" I hadn't a clue what I was doing.

"You looked a little funny? Everything okay? You're not sick or anything?" Jacob stepped up to me and peered at me with those dark soulful eyes.

I wanted to hurl myself at him and ravage his mouth with mine, but I simply mumbled, "I'm fine. Tired is all." I sat down on the couch and noted its warmth from where Jacob sat only moments ago.

"We can skip the game if you're not up to it. You probably got too much sun. You pale faces can't handle the sun," Jacob teased with a smile.

"No, I want to go. Besides, Alice would kill me if I missed the game. She is all about getting in all the 'human' experiences I can." Alice lived vicariously through me. She used to try and do so through my mom, Bella, but my mom resisted being simply human and longed for vampiric life with my dad. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be 'only human' and deny my vampiric nature as diminutive as it was.

"Well, let me shower and we'll head out."

"Okay. Mind if I use your computer?"

"No, go right ahead."

"Thanks," I said as he left the room.

I logged onto to my email account and read the messages from my parents. They wrote at least once a day, usually at two in the morning. Since they don't sleep they needed something to do to pass the time. Mom mostly asked how I am doing, am I lonely or homesick, am I eating enough. Dad wrote to confirm that I am behaving myself. He has made good on his promise to not peek into my mind, at least, he hasn't told if he has. And with the thoughts I have been having lately, he would definitely get a mindful.

As if summoned by my thoughts alone, Jacob emerged from the humid bathroom with wet hair and a towel wrapping the essentials. I studiously returned to the computer and pretended I didn't think about what might lie under that towel. Fortunately, Jacob was unaware of my inner turmoil and got dressed behind the closed bedroom door.

"Ready?" he asked wearing fresh Longhorns t-shirt in white and cut off denim shorts.

"Yep."

We decided to walk to the stadium which lied only two miles from Jacob's apartment. From the looks of things his lot provided the only available parking. The streets were lined with illegally parked cars as groups of people made their way to the stadium. Within a half mile of the complex we could hear the collective roar of the crowd. Kick-off was in forty-five minutes, but the party was well underway.

The seating was a mass of swarming bodies. As you panned the crowd you could barely make out individuals, but rather saw patches of orange and white blotched that made a strange throbbing blanket. Threatening to reach capacity, the attendance predictions expected crowds of upwards of 100,000. Jacob and I suspected those predictions were accurate as we climbed up to the back ranks of the stadium close to the goalpost. We snagged the only vacate pairing of seats as we squeezed between Longhorn adorned co-eds. Several of those near us wore binoculars around their necks. Fortunately, our preternatural eyesight would serve us well to see the miniscule participants on the vast field.

The festive atmosphere permeated the air as scents of assorted beverages and food wafted by. I deduced that beer, hot dogs and popcorn were the snacks of choice. Smiles and laughter abounded as people readied banners and other spirit paraphernalia. Even the obligatory wave where columns of spectators stood in sequence was performed with hoots and hollers. Jacob and I simply sat with astonished grins as we watched the spectacle. The energy was contagious though and we soon stood with arms raised as the wave came to our little corner of the crowd.

Soon the pep band started playing a fanfare and pyrotechnics shot up into the sky to announce the arrival of the combatants, err, the football team. First the cheerleaders and pom squads shook what they had to shake to whip the crowd into more of a frenzy, if such a thing were possible, as everyone stood to watch. Then the quarterback, a sophomore from a Podunk town in west Texas, crashed through the paper banner followed by his much larger and broader teammates down the aisle formed by dancing cheerleaders to center field. The sound made by the crowd was deafening. I could barely hear the announcer over the broadcast speakers as he rattled off the names of the first string team members. Once the Longhorns made it over to their side of the field, the opposing team took to the field with a much more subdued entrance. Texas Tech had the honors of facing off against the Longhorns and ran onto the field with their cheerleaders as a brave fraction of the audience welcomed them attired in red.

A theatrical coin toss ceremony decided that the Longhorns would have first possession with Texas Tech kicking the ball. The crowd stayed on its feet while the band played a drum roll as the kicker and company ran towards the ball. An orange clad warrior caught the ball and bobbed and weaved his way to the forty yard line with a twenty yard return before collapsing under a pile of red. The spectators cheered as if this was the portent of the victory they were expecting.

The dance on the field continued with the Longhorns making their way across the gridiron to Tech's twenty-yard line, or the red-zone as aficionados would say. I felt my cell phone vibrate and read the message from Alice: _UT makes the touchdown and it will be the first of many – have fun!_ What a way to ruin the game for me. It would be different if I were a betting woman. I could make a ton of money, but I wanted to simply watch the game. By the end of the first half, Alice's premonition appeared factual as the Longhorns led by 24 to 7.

The crowd for the most part ignored the display on the field: marching band, color guard and pom pom girls danced to a barely recognizable rendition of an old Cold Play tune as they made intricate designs on the field. I seriously doubted the musicians ever expected to be part of a half-time instrumental when they recorded this song.

With the suspense of the endgame spoiled by my over-eager aunt, Jacob and I decided to leave the game. We saw enough during the first two hour long half to satiate our curiosity and agreed with Nita's assessment though we weren't nearly as cynical. We fought the crowd like salmon going upstream as replenished spectators clutching more snacks and beverages made their way back to their seats. The air still had the familiar scent of snacks, perspiration and cosmetics, but a few new and unpleasant smells had been added: puke residue from overconsumption and urine from those unable to wait the interminable time for an appropriate stall to relieve themselves and another, foreign, almost alien, aroma.

"Do you smell that?" I asked while wrinkling my nose. It had a hint of sweet smoke, not unlike incense or a clove cigarette, yet it was neither.

"Yeah," Jacob agreed. "What is that?"

I shook my head despite having a vague tickling in my memory. I struggled to recall why the scent seemed familiar and could think of nothing but my dream from this morning. By the time we made our way to the vacant street with the stadiums noise at a more palatable level I had completely forgotten about it.


End file.
